The present invention relates to organic electroluminescent (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cELxe2x80x9d) devices and electronic apparatuses. As the applications of the organic EL devices, there may be mentioned display devices of information terminal apparatuses such as a computer, a mobile phone, and a television, and backlights of a liquid crystal display device.
Organic EL elements are self-luminous devices having a structure formed of an organic light-emitting layer provided between a cathode and an anode. An organic EL panel is composed of a laminate which forms this organic EL element and which is provided on a substrate, and as the structure thereof, for example, there may be mentioned a thin-film laminate structure formed of a thin-film (anode layer) composed of a transparent and conductive material, an organic light-emitting layer composed of an organic thin-film, and a metal thin-film (cathode layer) laminated to each other in that order on a transparent substrate. In addition, when necessary, a hole injection/transport layer is provided on the anode layer side of the organic light-emitting layer, and an electron injection/transport layer is provided on the cathode layer side of the light-emitting layer.
In this organic EL panel described above, since the laminate forming the organic EL element is easily degraded by moisture, for example, various sealing methods have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 5-182759 and 8-236273 disclose an organic EL panel comprising a laminate, which forms the organic EL panel, provided on one surface of a substrate, a sealing layer, which is composed of a synthetic resin, provided on end faces and the surface (surface at the side opposite to the substrate) of the laminate, and a protection plate material fixed on the surface opposite to the laminate of the sealing layer.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 5-89959 discloses that a protection layer (for example, a thin-film composed of a metal oxide such as MgO formed by reactive deposition) composed of an electrically insulating inorganic compound is provided on an external surface of the laminate described above, and a sealing layer composed of a glass plate, for instance, is further provided outside this protection layer. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-275682 discloses that a protection layer formed of a fluorinated polymer or an insulating oxide is formed on the external surface of the laminate described above, the outside of the protection layer is further covered by a glass container, the space between the protection layer and the glass container is filled with an inert medium, and a dehydrating agent and an oxygen absorbent are further contained in this inert medium.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-58255 discloses that a drive/control circuit for an organic EL element is provided at the periphery of a substrate at which the laminate described above is not formed, the laminate is sealed by a sealing plate, and a plate-shaped protection member composed of aluminum, copper, or iron covers the area at which the circuit is formed. This protection member covers external surfaces of the circuit and the end faces of the substrate at which the circuit is formed, a resin layer is provided between the protection member and the external surfaces of the circuit, and nothing is provided between the protection member and the end faces of the substrate.
An organic electroluminescent device of the present invention is an organic electroluminescent device comprising at least a first electrode, a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode between a substrate and a protection member, in which a cover member having a gas barrier property is disposed at end faces of the substrate so as to cover a part of the substrate and a part of the protection member.
A method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device which comprises at least a first electrode, a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode formed between a substrate and a protection member, in which the method comprises
a step of forming at least a first electrode, a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode on the substrate,
a step of attaching the substrate and the protection member to each other; and
a step of disposing a cover member having a gas barrier property at end faces of the substrate so that the cover member covers a part of the substrate and a part of the protection member.
In an electronic apparatus of the present invention comprising an organic electroluminescent device, the organic electroluminescent device comprises at least a first electrode, a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode between a substrate and a protection member; and
a cover member which has a gas barrier property and which is disposed at end faces of the substrate so that the cover member covers a part of the substrate and a part of the protection member.